The Monster You Made
by The Mad Mystic
Summary: You always face consequences for you actions, even if sometimes you do not remember them. Implications of Charisk, if you look close. ONESHOT turned TWOSHOT (Maybe Series?)
1. Chapter 1

It was a beautiful day outside. Birds were singing, flowers were blooming... On days like these... Sans needed to rest.

His brother, his friends, every single monster in the underground had died by one human's hands. Barely fifteen years old, yet this child had managed to make the greatest warriors of the underground break into dust with a single hit. He knew he would not be enough to truly stop them, if they were as determined as he imagined. For once, the knowledge that his efforts would be fruitless did not stop him.

It was such a hollowing sensation to realize the person you promised to protect had gone around, slaughtering everything in their path, even San's own brother. Oh there were monsters left, no doubt. Alphys was smart, and Mettaton had meant to buy time with that secondary form, not win. Whether there were enough for the Monster race to survive... that was another matter entirely, but he had no opinion on the matter. What mattered now was that this human died.

Perhaps it was fate, or some twisted sense of curiosity, that drove the human this far. He was curious about their reasoning. Surely it could not have been so harrowing a journey that they turned to bloodshed immediately? He had stopped watching after Papyrus died, still believing in the human. Odd, then, that Papyrus was the only death they cried at. After that... it seemed the child stopped existing, replaced by a machine bringing only pain and death to anything in its way.

Sans could have done more, he knew. He could have convinced Asgore to let him absorb the human souls, he could have done it without Asgore knowing. That would not work. Humans, even when one of hatred was involved, stuck together. It was a twisted sentimentality he would never understand. Justice stood above all else. Mercy was important, but in this case... he had lost that option.

Even if the human had just killed Papyrus, Sans would not have attacked. He would have hated the human, desired their death, but not acted upon it. Now, with the majority of the Monsters dead at their hands? He had no intention of anything but killing the human. Perhaps he was just using those deaths as an excuse to extract a more personal revenge onto the human, but it did not matter anymore. He fully intended to die.

How else could he be reunited with Papyrus?

The human was approaching. Sans never learned whether the human was male or female, and did not care. Sans had scarcely seen humans, so he would not really notice the differences between males and females of the younger ages. It did not matter. The human could identify as a toaster and Sans still would have not cared. That was not what any of this was ever about.

The human smiled, a sick, cruel facsimile of the common expression of joy. Those red eyes... Possession? He knew it was possible, or at least theorized it. Human souls were mostly unknown, and a few of the other humans were just as cruel as the human had shown themselves to be. Still, it did not matter, he had no way to undo whatever happened. Only the human had that power.

"heya." Sans spoke calmly, his incomprehensible rage being only slightly hidden beneath that calm exterior. "you've been busy, huh?"

The human stepped forward, red eyes staring into Sans' white eyes.

"heh. so i've got a question for ya. do you think even the worst person can change? that everybody can be a good person, if they just try?"

Another step. Was it bad that he was looking forward to this?

"Heh heh heh he... well here is a better question. **DO YOU WANNA HAVE A BAD TIME?** cause if you take another step forward, you are REALLY not going to like what happens next."

The human paused, as if considering their actions. Sans was a bit annoyed at this, but allowed them to consider themselves for a moment. That look on their face... They really were a freak...

"You know." The human finally spoke, the irritatingly calm and soothing voice echoing in the hall. "I have heard that speech so many times... It never gets old!"

"what are ya talking about kid?" Sans questioned, feeling something... wrong.

"Oh, no, please, keep talking about how I must deal with the consequences of my actions, I do so enjoy hypocritical speeches." Their smirk widened, which Sans reasoned should not have been possible.

"kid, if you cannot face the consequences of your actions, then ya shouldn't have done them." Sans glared at him, nothing but hatred for the human left.

"Oh yes! You are so correct. So then... Why do you think I am here?" The human tilted their head, an inhuman giggle coming forth.

"curiosity? anger? fear? too many possibilities kid. it doesn't matter though, you did too much, you took one step too far."

"Rage." The human stopped grinning, their head turning back into a neutral position, glaring directly into Sans' eyes.

"rage? about what? how we welcome you with open arms? how we tried to forgive you for murdering everyone? **HOW YOU KILLED MY BROTHER?** " Sans rage was reaching new heights, though he could not help the cold pit forming in his stomach.

"I was ten when I first fell into the Underground." The human spoke calmly, not even blinking.

"Toriel kept you in those ruins for five years? huh. so what?" Sans had to wonder what exactly caused this. Toriel had not mentioned a human falling, and she would have, given the situation...

"No. You know of the Resets. Well, do you know of Loads? Of course you do, you just know EVERYTHING, don't you? Always hiding secrets, always talking in riddles. This is the only point in time you have ever really opened up more than an ounce, just enough to be the cool mysterious guy seemingly helping out." The human smiled again, a small confident one, rather than the malicious sadistic one from before, though somehow this only made Sans feel worse. "Loads sometimes do not change your age. If you age a day, then load the previous day, your body will still be a day older. It is a bit random in when it happens, but it is not uncommon. Interesting is it not?"

"No... NO!" Sans roared in defiance, knowing exactly what the human was implying. "you have to be lying!"

"Oh no, not at all. Toriel never meant to kill me, it was always an accident. The other monsters in the ruins... they meant it. Those on the way to snowdin? They either meant it, or were too ignorant to understand what they did. Papyrus?"

"He would never kill you!" Sans interrupted, defending his deceased brother.

"He never did." The human paused, a wistful smile forming. "I really liked him. But all those beatings. All those times I came close to death, in the freezing cold, only to be thrown into a cage, regardless of how easy it was to escape. His was the only death I really did not want to do, but... well, you know all about justice, don't you?" Sans felt the weight of all the Underground's sins crawling on his back. "Yes, exactly. Undyne? Hah! One hundred thirty seven. That is how many times she killed me. A trained warrior like that, stronger than most physically strong humans, fighting a child? What did anyone expect to happen? I have no magic, no real weapon. The best I have ever gotten is a dagger. Oh she gave me a spear to 'make it fair', but... I was a child. Mettaton? A robot who killed me many times, some accidents, some on purpose, and some were better left unsaid. Bombs, fire, lasers, mercenaries, kicks, so many deaths... Then we get to Asgore. I liked him, as much as Toriel, really. He wanted to lose. I think of all those in the underground, perhaps he had the best reasons. Sure, he made a lot of idiotic moves, but he was the one who had to live with his choices, and he lived in such misery for it! That is justice. Still... he killed me two hundred times, at least. At some point, I stopped counting. Do you know how many deaths in total, Sans?"

"And how many did you kill?" Sans knew he was in the wrong, but he stopped caring a long time ago.

"One hundred twenty two." The human's face once again changed into an utterly neutral expression.

"That is a lie! If you truly lived so many lives, you would have killed many more than that." Sans spoke out again, knowing the human was leading him, but too infuriated to care. Or perhaps, not infuriated, but... in denial?

"Ah, you are not wrong. But you see... the difference is, they forget about it. I bring them back each time. I cried because of them. I felt terrible. You? Undyne? Those random monsters? You all celebrated my deaths. Over and over. Not a single hint of remorse. Well, Toriel and Asgore had remorse, but they still went through with it. Those two, at least, I can respect. I will admit, you only fight me on this exact path, where everyone else dies, but... what about that promise, Sans?" Sans felt his body freeze, recognition dawning in his eyes. "Oh yes, when I am less violent, particularly when Papyrus survives, you tell me all about it, right before threatening me. How you promise Toriel to protect me. Quite... interesting. So, in this hall where you always judge me, let me ask you this... Where were you, when I died all those times? Had you really protected me... none of this would have happened."

Sans fell to his knees, the events of the week being too much, particularly with that last sentence. It was his fault, and he knew it. He thought the kid would be fine, since they had the power of Reset and Save/Load, but... he forgot that the kid would still FEEL everything. All that pain, frustration, suffering... He choked back a sob, apologizing internally to everything that the human had killed. It was his fault... just like before. He just wanted to die, to be with them now, even if he knew he was probably destined for somewhere else... "Kill me."

"What was that?" The human smiled condescendingly, as if mocking his internal hatred. All that hatred once directed towards the human, now turned inward.

"KILL ME! You can have your justice, your revenge, that's fine! Just... end it." Sans sobbed, the pain of losing... causing his brother's death too much to bear. His only reason for living, and now even revenge was gone.

"No." The human chuckled. "That is your punishment. Everyone else died. You? You live with that." Sans looked up, the earlier rage slowly coming back, even if his desire to just die was too much to bear now. "Oh don't worry. I'll reset soon enough. I'd say... five years. Funny, isn't it? A True Reset will bring me back to... this age, I believe. So, five years of my life wasted by all you monsters, five years of your own lives gone."

"No one will remember."

"Oh, quite incorrect. You see, this is not the first time I have killed everyone. The first time... oh I could not bear the pain of doing it, I was just so angry and scared. I had so much power, what was I going to do with it but finally break free of this nightmare? But... then I met someone who changed my mind. I was so focused on escaping my own pain, I did not realize I should do quite the opposite. You all... All of you monsters caused me so many deaths, so much pain... You wasted five years of my life, so I decided to take away five years of yours. Everyone but you gets five years of being dead. You? You get five years of everyone else being dead, while knowing just one act of kindness, one act of mercy could have prevented it all. The best part? My partner's deal means none of you will forget this. When I true reset, I will leave this timeline forever, probably just for another Frisk to come. I pray, for your sake, you learn from this. I might even be the merciful one among all of us."

Ah... so their name was Frisk. And this... was mercy?

"I could have done so much worse. I could have just kept you all in jars, unable to speak, experience the world, move, anything but sit and THINK. Can you imagine that? You would all be insane within days. I am not sure if I could keep going after that. You all? Hah! Good luck. So yes, this is my mercy to you. I wonder how you would have done in my shoes, Sans. But then, we both already know, don't we? You would have just given up."

Sans did not even realize the human was already leaving the room, too focused on his fractured emotions to care.

"Well, I am also giving you a chance I suppose. I wanted you all to learn, after all, not just punish you. So... try to treat the next Frisk better, alright? Maybe they won't be the monster that you made me into."

And so, the human left Sans, broken and dead inside, a shell of the shell he once was.

* * *

"You lied." The spirit spoke, its voice containing an echo-like quality to it.

"Only in that I did not explain my other reasoning. Are you sure you are okay with what we are going to do?"

"You forget, I experience everything you do, just not as... intensely." The spirit laughed, which may have been merry, were it not for the cruel smirk grafted onto its face.

"Maybe, but Sans did not need to know that I needed the human souls. That YOU needed the human souls."

"Well, you did want a partner with you forever. And I wanted a body to make sure we are always together. Linked by soul and by body? Doesn't that just sound so... interesting?"

"It does, actually. Though... when we first met, you acted much different. Why the change?"

"I had thought you only sought power, so I accepted that as my purpose. But, when you revealed your truest self to me... I changed my mind. I had already gained individuality, but we both wanted the same thing. Mercy, Justice, Hope, Love, Family... but there was something more than that."

"What was it then? I have power, I can destroy this timeline myself now, and you can destroy the entire multiverse if you please. I do not believe I have ever cared much about what others thought of me, so fame is also out..." The human child spoke, slowly walking towards Asgore.

"We both wanted to protect you." The spirit smiled, much more genuine than anything either had shown before, only for a similar expression to be returned by the human child.

"Well, you are the only one I care for anymore. I may like some of the Monsters, but they... do not understand what it means to truly die, over and over. Toriel is adorable with her motherly attitude. Asgore with his amazing remorseful king status... Papyrus, being as goofy but awesome as he is."

"Don't forget Undyne. She was always amazing, more than anything. A true Heroine! Pulling herself back together with raw determination..."

"Mettaton was goofy, but in a great way, I always appreciate large hams. Alphys reminded me of myself as a child too, just... with actual problems hidden in that lab of hers."

"I actually think Sans was my favorite. Always mysterious and powerful, lazy but always more than meets the eye to him." The spirit giggled.

"Don't forget the SCIENCE!" The human posed dramatically, pausing in his slow walk towards the Throne room, causing the spirit to giggle more. "But they have to learn. This could not keep going on. I have been in this timeline so long and no one remembers except Flowey, and he was his own problem... Sure you don't feel bad about what we did to him?"

"As much as I still love Asriel, no. That flower killed you many times, and I felt each of them. That it was the creation caused by my failures with Asriel only makes me hate it more... But still, it is amazing how you managed to find weedkiller in the underground, especially since he popped up right into it."

"I figured irony was more important than anything in that. In all fairness, he deserved death, but without a soul, can you really blame him?" The human child shrugged, the question flowing from them without real thought.

"Hey! I don't have a soul either!" The spirit seemed to pout at this.

The human smiled as they finally reached the thrown room. "You have mine, and you always will." And soon, Chara would have six more as well, for a human could not absorb another human soul, but a soulless being could absorb any type of soul.

* * *

A/N: I always felt people took the Genocide route in the wrong way. Instead of this kid just straight up going crazy or being possessed and killing everyone, what if they had been broken down by so many deaths, so much pain, and no one ever helping them out? It would be tough to explain Papyrus, but everyone else really kind of deserves what they get, if the same morality is applied to them as it is to the player. This is what happens when we remove the player from the equation, though. Instead, its just an angry kid who spent FIVE years of their life being killed over and over, only to be scolded when they kill a single thing that attacked them in the first place.

Also, for all those who love AUs and fanfictions, or Alternative Character Interpretations, good news! Undertale, according to Sans' dialogue and Chara's Genocide ending speech, supports the Multiverse concept, which means ALL possibilities for Undertale are true simultaneously... unless it operates on a contained Multiverse concept, but that is less likely. So yeah. Chara is a boy, girl, dog, transgender, blind, whatever. All of them, because each player has their own interpretation of what Chara and Frisk are, that becomes true. Which is likely what Toby intended, seeing as Frisk was basically made to be a player-insert protagonist.


	2. Chapter 2

There was something odd about the kid, Sans realized. Frisk, they called themselves. An odd name, but monsters had those too, and he had no idea how much culture had changed from the legends before his appearance in the underground. Unlike many Monsters, Sans did not hate humans because they were humans, or because they were evil, he just felt... dead.

To be honest, for a long time, Sans was an excitable scientist, enjoying the most complex insanities that science showed him. From teleportation of less than atomic materials, to timeline differentiations, Sans enjoyed all of it. Perhaps it was that which caused his descent into depression, and nihilism. Though, it was less depression and more hopelessness, seeing as how he knew of the timelines reseting, even if his memories did not stay in tact from each reset.

Frisk was a curious one, always asking more and more about Sans, revealing that they were the cause of the resets as well. It helped Sans learn to trust them, but also made him extremely wary. Frisk was too young to be the anomaly from before, so it was highly likely that whatever caused the resets had changed as well. If he had to guess, it had something to do with determination. That was essentially the only thing really special about the human. Undyne had them beat at physical strength, Sans had them beat at knowledge, Toriel certainly had them beat at kindness, even Asgore had them beat at duty. Determination was really the only thing special about them... Except, maybe not.

Sans had been watching. Frisk was the oldest child that had fallen, and as with all others, it was likely not for a happy reason. A few got lost, and simply fell down, but most had jumped for a reason. Frisk seemed... too determined to have done that. Too self-aware, sure of their existence and goals. Everything they said, everything they did... In a way, it was like seeing a fusion of him and his brother, the sheer willpower of both of them, mixed with the calm perception Sans was known for, and the ridiculous amount of Ham that Papyrus was known for. Not in an over-the-top way, but they seemed to always enjoy themselves. It was perhaps why he did not mind them being the one to have the power of Reset.

However, he had a horrifying realization. Frisk was not originally this determined, nor this old. It was not some memory, or wild estimation, no, it was reaction. While Frisk was incredibly knowledgeable about people, the underground, and magic, they seemed to lack the knowledge of human culture, expressing something of confusion upon returning to the surface. This implied the resets had been in Frisk's power far longer than Sans had hoped. That, combined with the determination and complete assurance of their goals... Sans did not need a magnifying glass to pick out what had happened.

So here he was, ready to confront Frisk and his own sins. Frisk had decided to live with Toriel, likely too old to really live with their parents anymore, though too young to live alone. How long had it been for Frisk? Were their parents even alive? He realized everyone knew fairly little about Frisk, less because they were not interested, and more because Frisk seemed to put everyone before themselves, almost suicidally so.

When Undyne had almost killed herself trying to murder Frisk, Sans would not have been upset at Frisk for killing her. He may not have enjoyed her death, but he would have left Frisk alone. Several monsters, he figured, would deserve death for what they would have done.

What they likely did do.

Still, Sans knew himself well enough to know that he was perhaps a terrible judge of what right and wrong were, except in the clearest definitions. Going out of your way to murder things was one thing, but defending yourself from a relentless and remorseless killer was another. He may criticize the kid if he found out they had killed during their journey, but it would be much more about the kid having the power to avoid it, and not doing so. Even with all his knowledge of science, and all his magic, he knew at the end of the day the worst he could really do to the kid was criticize them, or annoy them for a while. Especially with how the kid seemed to have become indestructible through sheer determination when they fought Asriel. Oh, most had forgotten that fight, or simply were not aware enough to experience it. Sans knew, though. He was too aware, too smart, and too strong to be suppressed as easy as the others. Not in magic, nor in emotions, but in determination.

"Sans, what are you doing here? Toriel is at work, you know." The human, the slightest smile on their face, answered the door, right after Sans knocked once, almost as if they knew he was coming.

"heya kid. i actually wanted to talk to ya, bout some pretty heavy things too." Sans' lazy way of speaking was nothing knew, and certainly did not need to be capitalized.

"Sure, come on in, I just made tea." Sans was mildly surprised the kid knew how to make tea, but realized Toriel probably liked the same tea as Asgore, even if not to the same degree. Frisk WAS always happy to help others.

It was only after a few moments of meaningless chat about recent events that Sans decided to bring up his question, more due to comfortability than anything. "kid... how many times did you die? i know you have the reset power, we discussed it before, but... i have to know how much i failed you."

"I stopped counting." Sans' heart, or rather the empty space where his physical heart should have been, dropped to his stomach. "To be honest, I got so used to death it stopped mattering. Its not like I stopped feeling pain, but each death made it easier. A part of me hated all of you for it, but another part... well, I am somewhat glad it happened, in a bittersweet way."

"kid..."

"No, listen, before interrupting. You've always had this depressing thing about you giving up, but you seem to think you were the only one who did so." The human smiled, something... different from before, not quite cruel, but not pleasant either. "See, I had the chance to save everyone." Sans did not like where this was going. "Its like you said before, a great power such as reset, shouldn't it be used for good? Well, I agreed. Though, for a while... you have to understand, I only really reset twice. Most of my time was loads because you guys were... really hard to fight. The first time, I was so terrified. I died from everything. I am sure the number of deaths in that reset came close to a thousand by the end."

Sans did not speak, for he knew not what to say.

"I became vengeful, angry. Anyone would, right? I mean... I was killed in so many different ways, sometimes by accident, sometimes through betrayal because I said or did the wrong thing to the wrong person, sometimes just through a fight... But there were a few times..." Frisk paused, smile gone from their face now. "Have you ever seen a ledge and just thought about jumping? See a rope, and wonder how long it would take? Well, I found out. I wanted it all to end, but it wouldnt. Although I still have the power to reset, save, and load, in the underground it was mostly automatic. If I died, I would load where I last saved. The first time, I killed a few monsters. I dont exactly remember which ones, but I know I spared Papyrus at least, I liked him too much and he never killed me." A small feeling of pride shown through Sans' expression, no doubt glad his brother had never gone too far. "The damage was bad, sure, but in the end, he cared. Which is more than I can say for most of them."

"Then I fought Asgore, and died. So may deaths... He was not even that powerful, it turns out, not like you. There was never anyone quite as difficult as you."

"kid... there is only one way i would fight you... what did you do?" He did not want an answer. He wanted to pretend he did not hear it, but he could not.

Frisk continued one, as if not hearing him, though he had a feeling Frisk was about to answer anyway... "I killed Asgore. Well, I was going to, then Flowey showed up and killed him instead, before absorbing six human souls and becoming... I honestly have no words to describe it, but it was harder than fighting Asgore. I remembered each death, and each attack. I was much more determined than him, but he had more determination than me, if that makes sense? Probably not. Still, I fought him, convinced the other human souls to join me, and killed him. I... don't know what happened after that. I received a phone call from you, but everything was dark otherwise, and I was not sure how to do anything else. So I reset.

And I killed. I was so full of rage, of hate. The sheer number of deaths I had that first run... I had died more times than there are monsters in the underground, and that was just against Undyne. I was just a kid at that point, so its understandable. I had no hope of winning unless I did EVERYTHING perfectly. It took so long to perfect everything. So, instead, I killed. I attacked first. Oh sure, they were going to attack me, but I made the first move as soon as I saw anything. Toriel, Papyrus" Sans inhaled sharply, but knew his brother was alive in this timeline at least, so he let the kid continue. "Undyne, Mettaton... then you. Asgore. Flowey. Everything in the underground died, except two things. I had a plan though. I had a few goals that required that much LOVE, see, I developed it just a bit into that reset. There was just so much pain, and it became clear to me that I was... not going to make it. Not that I was dying, but I was changing. I had a few choices, and at the end, I made a very special choice that I will never regret."

"why the sudden change from genocidal maniac to pacifist?" Though both enraged and terrified, Sans also found himself curious.

"My goals had been reached. I dispatched Justice in a brutal way, and went to a different timeline, this timeline. See, I learned early on in that reset that I was not alone. Soulless humans are not like soulless monsters. They can feel any range of emotion, but they do not grow from their own emotions, instead they latch onto something that gives off emotions and grow from that. So, can you imagine what a soulless human would grow into, if it had latched onto me when I first fell?"

Fear. Confusion. Sans could think of a lot of things, each more terrifying than the last. "it would have been driven mad, homicidal, just out to kill everything."

Frisk chuckled, shaking their head. "Not at all! See, all my actions, in both resets, were in defense. I felt the monster's plight, but I was too weak to really do anything. It became about power for a bit, but it evolved from there. I had this constant question in my head, once I have all that power, what should I do with it? I can already fix my mistakes, bring everyone back to life, and that power remains with me, so what should I do afterwards? That thought persisted until I met you again, in this timeline."

"me?"

"You. You lost whatever spark you had, before. I dont know what happened, and I don't particularly care. But, what I saw when I really learned about you, not your past, but who you are, I saw someone who had lost all hope. Someone who seemingly wanted to die, but refrained only for the sake of his brother. Granted, there is no doubt more to it than that, you are a complex one after all. You lost all your motivation for the big picture, realizing the resets made everything pointless. Instead, you started looking at the small things, puns, spending time with your brother, pranks... Anyway, the idea that came to mind when I saw you again, it was a simple question. "What would I do in his shoes?"... Well, I was curious. I looked into it, and I realized I was just as selfish as all of you. I had convinced myself the previous reset was about justice, but it was about revenge. Maybe justified in some ways, but that does not mean it was about it being justice. No, I was selfish. During my time before the underground, everyone told me that selfishness was a terrible thing, some great evil persisting in the hearts of everything that lives. But... I learned something during my time with all of you."

"what is it?"

"Being selfish is fine. Its only when you take it too far. I learned of moderation. There was no great moral to the story. No underlying theme of responsibility or power. It was a realization that perhaps... there really is no such thing as evil. Even the soulless Flowey turned around in this reset, almost begging me to not reset things to the way they were before, even saying I would have to take away his memories too. So... then... I realized I had acted like a fool. Sure, my revenge was justified, but I did not want anything to die. I had experienced enough death, enough pain. That was when I met my partner fully."

"partner?" Sans was having no trouble following along, though he did have certain difficulties piecing things together.

"Right behind you." Frisk smiled.

Sans did not turn around. "nope. not doing it."

"Spoilsport." Came a voice from behind him. "But yes, partner. We had the same goals, and we were bound together. We came up with a plan. Instead of just eradicating all monsters, we would never let ourselves die again. Instead of just using our time to get out of the underground again, we came up with the idea of a five year waiting period. All the monsters we killed, and the ones we spared, they had to live with it all, or not be alive for it, for five years, before we finally did a true reset, but left their memories of the events. They would remember for the next human. Whether they learn to be better, or worse people... that is up to them. The way it should be." He did not turn around, but he could tell from the clinical explanation, that this partner had little care for the monsters.

"Well, that was when a thought occurred to me. I knew where the human souls were. I knew what happened when a soulless being absorbed them. Of course... by the time I reached them, my partner, Chara, was capable of destroying that timeline with a single attack, even recreating it afterwards." Frisk explained.

Sans was... honestly, he was unsure how to feel about the idea of an incredibly powerful being having partnered with Frisk in an effort to kill all monsters.

"So, Chara absorbed them all. They were so happy to finally experience SOMETHING again. Though... Human souls are not conscious in the same way as humans are when alive. It is hard to explain, but previous knowledge fades, though skills and power does not. They all experienced whatever Chara did, and thus, what I did as well. So Chara became a seven-souled being, including my own soul. It was part of our deal, see. Dont worry, I am in full control of myself. Chara does not like controlling others, and likes me enough to not want to anyway." Somehow, that eased Sans' stress, which was quickly mounting with the increasingly depressing and worrying conversation. "Do you know what we did with those five years, and all that power?"

Chara spoke up this time. "We learned." Sans finally turned to look at Chara, not recognizing them, but knowing enough to realize who it was. "We learned how to fight, how to read people, how to break them, how to kill, all about magic... and we used that knowledge. We did more and more, learning as much as we could, in an effort to unlock something that may help us both. It is how I have a physical body, though the souls helped. They were released some time ago, though. I no longer needed them. Frisk learned so many skills, and I learned so much knowledge. We can kill without effort, we can break people down into dust, we can shatter everything that matters to them... Or." Chara paused, though Sans understood why.

"or you could help them. make em see past themselves. defend yourselves without killing. bring hope to everyone." Sans' smile was no longer strained. He understood.

"There was a question you asked me during the last reset, and I think you'll know the answer. Do you think even the worst person can change, if they just try?" Frisk smiled, genuine once more.

Sans felt tears forming in his eyes, not from depression or fear, but from sheer joy. "yeah, kid. yeah, we can."

Frisk and Chara smiled at each other, knowing Sans was not talking about them this time. Sometimes, even the worst people could change. They just needed a little help.

* * *

A/N: So, I was going to let this remain a oneshot, and I am sort of taking a risk by making it a two shot (Maybe series honestly), but I felt there was something I needed to address in addition to the last chapter.

I was not condoning the genocide run, I was portraying it as the tragedy it would likely be. Not some maniac trying to kill everything joyfully, but as a kid who had spent so much time just DYING that they no longer knew how to solve any problems but with violence, someone who thought justice was killing your enemies before they kill you.

Originally, I meant to leave it at that, and leave the ending ambiguous onto whether or not Frisk got better, but I realized I like happy endings too much, and that was not a very happy one. A big part of me wondered whether or not I should add more, or leave it as is, because I REALLY liked that first chapter and I am unsure how this one will turn out.

To be direct, the message of this one is a bit different, but in a less morality-judgement based way. Frisk's line about doing the same in everyone else's place is pretty true for most of us, because we, to quote Flowey/Asriel "love our friends". We will even kill to protect them, or to free them. Not because we see them as monsters to be killed, but because they are obstacles to us. Things that should just be removed as quickly as possible. As someone who has dealt with both ends of death, its hard to really explain the difference between an obstacle and an enemy, but I think you guys are smart enough to get it. Basically, the monsters saw it less as killing a child, and more removing an obstacle.

Isnt that heartbreaking by itself? They were so desperate for freedom that they had this idea that killing a kid or seven was okay because it meant they could finally be free. There is not a country in the world where they would not do the same, and... I did not mean to demonize the monsters by doing the previous chapter, but to humanize them. To bring them to the same level as Frisk, but another part of me realized Frisk was not bound by the same rules. Frisk is... infinite, in a way. Remove the player from the equation and the story of Undertale gets a lot more heartwrenching, but the story is made to make the player a big part of the lore as well.

With that in mind, I want to bring up an interesting quandary, the very one that made this chapter a thing.

If you have that kind of power, of Resetting timelines and fixing mistakes, should you not seek to help those who cannot help themselves? Not because it is responsibility, but because of empathy? Its a personal question for everyone, so feel free to not answer if you review, but that was the question this chapter was about. A reason Frisk would go pacifist after the last chapter, and how it would possibly fit.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: I might try an actual story for Undertale soon... not sure, given the community on most sites pisses me off. Havent seen anything negative too bad here, except the whole usage of they/them that I despise. I could go on a rant about that, but safe to say Im done using them as a pronoun for individuals. Why did I do it with the previous two chapters? Relation. Not this non-binary shit, but to follow the method of player-character, or reader-character in this case, relation. So... yeah. Frisk he, Chara she. Get over it.

Also, I dont tend to respond to reviews with PMs, but I may start... seems like a good move, but I dont know yet.

* * *

His body stood in an endless abyss, darkness surrounding him, yet his vision not obscured by the lack of light. He could see a figure before him, one he recognized greatly. Chara. The one who Asriel talked about, the one who had followed him on each of his previous resets, the only one who remembered EVERYTHING. Even Flowey could not remember past True Resets, but Chara was part of him now, so she would never forget.

He was unsure what happened, only vaguely recalling resetting this time, and Chara telling him to rest, to let her take over. He had no reason not to, as she had always been a helpful guide, kind and funny, helping him when he was frightened. "Chara?" He called out.

There was no movement from her body, but she drifted closer anyway, as if she was floating. Given she was a ghost, that was possible. She certainly seemed less ghost-like now, though. "Greetings Frisk."

"Chara, where are we? Whats going on?" Frisk questioned, getting a strange sensation in his gut.

"I killed everyone." Chara smiled, not her usual happy smile either, but a strange mix between relief and guilt. "Toriel, Papyrus, Undyne, Mettaton, Sans, Asgore, Flowey, everyone."

Frisk's blood ran cold, the idea of Chara hurting anyone so far from his mind, so outside of what he considered possible. She was too kind, too soft, and too emotional to distance herself enough to kill. Everything he knew about her pointed towards that fact, she was emotional, and she loved monsters, there was no way she could... "Why?" But some part of him knew it to be true, flashes in his mind of his body attacking his friends, killing them.

"No matter how hard you fought, no matter how much you try, even if you prove your kindness and love for them... they dont stop trying to kill you." Chara laughed bitterly. "I have seen you die so many times, Frisk. You are the only one, the only person who refuses to stain your hands with blood willingly. A few accidents or misunderstandings, but I can feel what you do, that guilt... At least you feel that. Monsters? Look at them all. Toriel was throwing fire at a child for wanting to go home! That is not the doting mother I remember!"

"She wanted to keep me safe!" Frisk exclaimed.

"By burning you to death three times?" Chara countered. Frisk faltered there, but Chara did not let him continue. "Papyrus... oh yes, Papyrus, even he... no matter how nice you were, no matter how kind you showed yourself to be to him, he always stopped you at the edge of Snowdin, beating you to near death. Maybe he never killed you, but... he kept fighting. He never once thought about what wouldve happened to you, had you been unable to escape. Having your soul ripped from your body is not a pleasant thing..." She sighed tiredly.

"Papyrus is my friend!" Frisk took a step forward, towards Chara now.

"Only after fighting him over and over, being hurt more than was anywhere near reasonable." Chara waved him off, before moving on. "Undyne? She was the one who was determined to kill you, not just capture you, not protect you, but KILL you. She chased you all throughout waterfall, she never even apologized! She just kept attacking, until she overheated. Frisk, she was willing to kill a child!"

"I am fifteen, damnit! And you loved Undyne, you wouldnt shut up about how awesome that 'date' was."

"Not the point, Frisk. And yes, I do love Undyne, she is like the physical embodiment of the concept of shounen protagonist! But that does not excuse what she did to you. You died enough times to those spears to know what I mean." Chara sighed once more, leaning back into... nothing, but maintaining a diagonal position. "Mettaton was truly a killer robot, someone who was willing to air the murdering of a child" Chara ignored Frisk's cries of being fifteen again, "just to preform aboveground, never thinking what would happen afterwards. What if the humans did not like his acting? He has a temper, he would not hold back. Even worse, the way he treats employees... He killed you plenty of times, too. Kept attacking with puzzles, all the while maintaining that indestructible body, and holding nothing back."

"Who else, Chara? You said Sans after Mettaton, why?" Frisk questioned, his anger thinning now, though not evaporating completely.

"Oh Frisk, isnt it obvious? With such a loving brother, such a wonderful place to live, and being loved by almost everyone... He still would have just killed you. Even at the end, that little date you had with him." Frisk flinched at the memory. "Yeah. Friends dont tell their friends they would be dead where they stand."

"He wouldnt have, he changed his mind by that point."

"No Frisk, he did not. His wording... he wouldve killed you there, in that moment, even after befriending Papyrus. All because he couldnt handle the knowledge of resets. Millions of people know they dont matter up above Frisk, they know their lives are meaningless and bound to end without even a footnote in a history book, but they dont decide that killing children is the right thing to do... most of the time anyway. Sans was depressed, I get it, but he gave up without ever actually trying... until this time." Chara smiled, truly happy now.

"What do you mean?" Frisk stepped closer, standing right in front of her now.

"More on that in a moment. Asgore... well, he ordered the war anew, and caused the deaths of six children, one way or another. Yes, he simply wanted to give the underground hope, but killing children to do it..." Chara shook her head. "Kings make tough decisions, so perhaps he is the most understandable, but it does not erase what he did to you. So many times. All the while you tried to spare him until you were forced to fight, and even then you refused to kill him. He gave up then, you know, he was willing to give you his soul, just so you could leave. You mightve been able to absorb the other human souls at that point too, so it was a win-win for him, truly."

"What about Flowey? He was your best friend."

"No. Asriel was. Asriel was a kind soul, soft and gentle, just like you, though perhaps more naive. Flowey was a sociopath, killed everyone you knew, his own parents, many times. Not because of anger, or any emotion of that sort, but because he was curious, because it was fun. Flowey can rot in hell, but Asriel... he was different. That thing may have come from Asriel's ashes, but it is not him." Chara growled at some points during that speech, which scared Frisk slightly.

"Was there a point to all that? You know Ill reset." Frisk stated, as a fact.

"There are two things that have changed regardless of resets, Frisk." Chara held up two fingers to signify the points. "It may have started out of anger, but it became something more. After Toriel, I started killing out of genuine love. I heard a phrase before, about how people show their truest colors moments before they die. I thought nothing of it, but it was proven true."

"What did you see then?" Frisk was partially horrified, but mostly curious at this. Were there really depths to his friends which even he did not know?

"Toriel... she asked if I hated her that much, then said she had realized she was actually protecting the Mosnters from me by keeping me there." Chara smiled.

"She wasnt wrong."

"Oh shut up. Anyway, I think it showed that in the end, she only ever wanted to protect everyone, might be where Asriel got it from... No wonder she connected so well with you, haha."

"What about Papyrus?"

Chara's grin widened greatly, before she let out a giggle of joy. "Oh Frisk, you would have loved what I saw then. Even when he was dying, he proclaimed his belief that I could be a better person. Even when he knew he was already dead! I think he might rival you in pureheartedness."

Frisk turned away, not bothering to reprimand the teasing, given the... odd situation. "What about your Hero?"

"You are right here, Frisk." Frisk did not look at her, but she continued. "Undyne sacrificed herself to save Monster Kid. Never did learn his name... or gender. She jumped in front of me right before I could kill him, it was amazing."

"That must have been a short fight, then... too bad, she deserved better."

"Oh she got it! She was falling apart, crumbling to dust, but no, she refused! She pulled herself back together with nothing but determination! She even became stronger from it, it was straight out of an anime! Even when I finally beat her, she only professed that she beleived Asgore would absorb the six souls and kick my ass. Even more, she claimed she would defeat me because I was a threat to not just monsters, but humans too! Frisk, she was so awesome!" Chara exclaimed excitedly.

Frisk half expected to see stars in her eyes when she spoke, given the sheer amazement in her voice. "Not sure how anyone could beat that. She definitely would prefer going down in that way, wouldnt she?"

"Oh yeah, everything else went down in one hit, except Jerry... but fuck Jerry. Undyne though, she was HARD to beat. She really showed why she is the Heroine of monsters. Anyway, Mettaton. Alphys didnt meet me in the lab, it was Mettaton, talking about me being too dangerous to deal with. After we got into the actual fight, he turned into a new form, but it was weak. It was only after I killed him that he revealed he had given his life to stall me, to make sure Alphys had time to escape with the monsters. He actually gave his life for someone else! He even knew he was going to die, but went on with it anyway. He really surprised me." Chara turned towards Frisk, a blank look on her face now.

"Sans?" Frisk said expectantly.

"Frisk, do not piss him off." Chara held up a finger to his mouth, seeing him about to interrupt. "Seriously, just dont. I dont know why, I dont know how, but that guy was the single most powerful monster I have ever seen. He even bled, though I dont know what it was, ketchup, blood, or determination. After that fight, I dont know what to believe. Sans gave up so much, but this time... seeing everyone I had killed, he stood up and just stopped me. Everyone I killed, every sin I ever commited, everything was used against me, with him doing damage based on that, it was some kind of karma based magic, Ive never even heard of such a thing. His attacks were faster than anything too, and he teleported me around so much... Frisk, I have never had so much fun as I did fighting him. It was the most challenging thing I have ever done, and it was great. He showed that his depression could only hold back so much, that, even with his apathy towards everything, he would not let his world fall. He stood at the end Frisk, the only one besides Undyne who put up a real fight."

"Sounds like he has a new fan." Frisk chuckled.

"Maybe, you know how I love puns." Chara shrugged. "Not much to say about Asgore or Flowey, Asgore died before he got a chance to show much besides what we already knew about him being a pacifist. Flowey begged me not to kill him, even trying to use Asriel's face against me, but that just pissed me off. Still, aside from Flowey, everyone showed their best traits when they died."

"I... guess so." Frisk was perhaps a little disturbed that his friend blatantly murdered everyone out of anger for him, but he was trying to understand the situation more. It helped that he knew he could bring them back.

"I mentioned two points, but the second... well, you will learn after you reset." Chara smiled mischeviously.

"Before I do... Chara, I forgive you, but dont do that again. They dont deserve that. Its pointless anyway, theyll forget each reset." Frisk sighed, tired of the resets himself, but he could not stop until he managed to break the barrier.

"Well... As true as that is, there are fragments of feelings left over from each reset. Not enough for anyone to remember, but enough for momentary emotions to come forth. Only Sans knows of the resets existing, so only he really knows what they mean, its how he predicted us both so well each time. Asgore... might know? That guy never explained, but he just nodded when you told him he had already killed you, so maybe."

"Lets... lets just try again, Chara. Fully pacifist this time, no accidents, no mistakes, just making friends. If I can forgive them all, you can too, right?" Frisk smiled, determined to give the girl another chance.

"I promise, Firsk. I wont hurt anyone." Chara smiled. "I forgive them too. So long as you are still with me, I think I can do that much."

With a surge of determination, Frisk reset.

* * *

Frisk awoke, as usual, on top of a bed of flowers. Everything was back to normal. Chara had creeped him out a bit, with the murdering everything, but that was no problem now that everyone was back. Besides, he couldnt really get angry at Chara. He was the one who died over and over. He would be lying if he said he had not thought about it before. Chara was not a physical existence now, she experienced emotions far more directly. He doubted even he could have controlled himself in that state. Still, he had to wonder what the second point was... Resetting erased everything, didnt it?

Frisk went to stand up, only to blink as his hand touched... flesh. He turned towards his hand, still laying down.

"Greetings, Partner." Chara grinned at him, fully physical once more. "You can move your hand now."

Frisk did so, standing up quickly. "This... this is what you meant?!"

Chara frowned slightly, not expecting the panicked tone in Frisk's voice. "Of course. I gained enough power to become physical. As of now, I am the strongest thing you have ever met, making a physical body for myself is childs play."

Frisk slowly grinned, wider than should be possible. "Chara, do you know what this means?"

Chara perked up at his giddy tone, wondering what was going through his head now. "That we can interact more... directly?" She grinned, perhaps a bit mischievously.

Ignoring the rising heat in his cheeks, Frisk shook his head. "We can finally free everyone! You are stronger than Asriel now, stronger than even his Seven Soul'd form, you said so yourself."

Chara nodded, a small but honest smile playing upon her lips. "Well, I may be using a physical body, but I am a conceptual being now. Even as powerful as he is, Asriel is still a physical being, so I exist above him, yes. I could maybe shatter the barrier myself, but that final ending you want requires Asriel to assume that form... hm. I guess Ill just do what I usually do, follow you around."

Frisk shook his head. "Oh no, you get to experience more than before now. You get to be part of the story, not just the narrator. Before you shared my experiences, but now they are yours as well, not just shared experiences, but your own. Chara... you can be free now."

Chara's eyes widened. She had been trapped as a ghost that only Frisk could see, only really feeling through his soul, while her own slowly put itself back together. Now, though... she was whole. She was a conceptual being, the embodiment of a concept given physical form, but she had her soul back in its entirety. No more piggybacking off of Frisk, no more needing to stay together, she could be truly free to choose her own path now. She had not thought of this before, being too excited at just being physically able to interact with Frisk now. "Thank you... Partner."

The two walked towards their adventure, hand in hand.

* * *

A/N: And then Toriel had a fucking heart attack, as well as Asgore and Flowey.

But no, this was based on the idea that maybe even a Genocidal Chara was reasonable, given the idea of them experiencing the world through Frisk. They even say that in the Genocide run, so it makes sense. I mean, could any of you really watch your friend just try to be nice to people and die to those people hundreds of times without deciding to retaliate that viciously? To quote a statement I made about the binding of Isaac, the story from the bible, not the game. "If God appeared before me and demanded I sacrifice a friend to him, I would be the first person to get in a fistfight with God himself." In other words, no, I would definitely retaliate viciously like that.

If I do actually make an Undertale Fanfiction, it will be related to this oneshot, though reading this would not spoil it, given the differing natures and ideas... Anyway, review if you want, like if you want, leave a bit of hatemail if you want. (Also a warning, I am terrible at updating things long term, as all my stories so far prove, so...)


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